Top 4 Fun Facts about White Water Rafting

White water rafting is one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in the world.

1. The rubber river raft was invented in the 1840s by U.S. soldiers.

Lt. John Fremont wanted to survey the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains so he enlisted the help of inventor Horace H. Day. Together, they constructed a primitive raft out of of four rubber cloth tubes and a wraparound floor. This raft made its first voyage when Fremont traveled the Platte River in 1842.

2. The International Scale of River Difficulty is used to rank rapids around the world.